It’s the holiday season. If you imagine sitting
with your family and friends by a welcoming fire in your new home, like the one in
Plan 48-656, shown above, here’s a
question: In today’s new energy-efficient, green homes, are fireplaces relevant
or a thing of the past?
To Burn
or Not to Burn
Most of the architects and designers who
weighed in on this topic said that clients want fireplaces for aesthetics
rather than home heating, although where the client is located may impact the
decision.
Boston-based Designer Ben Uyeda, co-founder of ZeroEnergy Design and
director of HomeMade Modern says that no fireplace is cost effective. “If
you have a well-insulated house that has a good central heating system, a
fireplace is an aesthetic, or
vanity, choice,” he says. And Michelle Wempe, principal of zumaooh, an Oakland, California-based design practice,
says that her clients choose a fireplace for aesthetics, unless it’s outdoors,
in which case, it can also ward off a chill. “We haven’t been
able to install a wood-burning fireplace in Northern California for years,” she
explains. “If you want a fireplace, it has to be a gas appliance.”
However, 75 percent of Brattleboro,
Vermont-based Architect Robert Swinburne’s clients want fireplaces or wood
stoves for heating. “Wood stoves and fireplaces are allowed as long as they can
provide sealed combustion, meaning makeup air, and a sealed firebox,” Swinburne,
principal of the Bluetime Collaborative, explains. And Cooter Ramsey, AIA, a
principal of Allison Ramsey Architects in Beaufort, South Carolina, near
Hilton Head Island, says that 90 percent of his clients want fireplaces. Sixty
percent of those that want fireplaces opt for wood-burning ones, while 40
percent choose gas models.
The first question that Uyeda asks clients who
want a fireplace is, “Why?” Resale value and functional warmth are the most
common answers. When Uyeda explains heat loss, installation costs, and what’s
involved in regulatory compliance, most of his clients opt out. On the other
hand, for many of Ramsey’s clients, the fireplace is
a central point of social interaction for family and friends and its design
sets the tone for the interior of the home.
Our experts offer helpful recommendations on masonry,
gas and alcohol fireplaces to help you make your decision. (None of the architects
and designers interviewed recommend electric fireplaces.)
Wood-Burning
FireplacesAllison Ramsey Architects still builds
traditional masonry fireplaces in a lot of its homes. Most fireplaces have
either a 36-inch or 42-inch box depending on the size of the room, Ramsey says.
If wood-burning fireplaces are allowed in your area and you decide to install
one, make sure it’s an EPA-rated fireplace, adds Swinburne of
Bluetime Collaborative. In terms of design, Swinburne prefers the tall, shallow Rumford
masonry fireplace
(designed by Count Rumford in the late 1700s and installed at
Monticello by Thomas Jefferson; the diagram here is from
Renaissance Fireplaces), which allows for maximal heating, and the
traditional inglenook fireplace in which a partially enclosed hearth area is
added to larger room. While mantels and hearths vary from project to project, Ramsey’s
clients often use large reclaimed timbers for the mantel with a slate surround.
When
it comes to pre-engineered masonry and metal wood-burning fireplaces, Ramsey recommends
the FireRock and Isokern brands. Isokern
offers masonry fireplaces, while FireRock provides masonry and metal
fireplaces. For looks and efficiency, Solar Environmental Architect David
Wright, principal of David Wright
Associates in Grass Valley, California, prefers Jotul
or Heatilator
fireplaces. While each of these brands offers models of pre-engineered
fireplaces in sizes ranging from 20 to 72 inches, 36 and 42 inches are the most
common widths.
As
an added note, when installing a fireplace in new construction, Swinburne also
includes a heat recovery ventilator (HRV), which, he says, helps with indoor
air quality. However, Tucson,
Arizona-based architect Laurie Clark, principal of Modern House Plans, cautions
against installing a fireplace inside a home that gets fresh air from
controlled mechanical ventilation because it could lead to carbon monoxide
poisoning or oxygen depletion, both of which are fatal.
Wood-Burning
Fireplace Pros and ConsThere’s nothing like a real wood fire crackling in the
fireplace, and it takes special skills to maintain a wood-burning fireplace in
a home. “Renaissance men love the smell of the fire and the popping of the
wood,” Ramsey says. “It can’t be imitated by gas, and anything less is
unacceptable.”
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Burn
Wise program, wood-burning fireplaces are inefficient (losing most of
their heat up the chimney), exacerbate health problems indoors, pollute
outdoor air, emitting 28 pounds of particulates per MMBTU, or one million BTUs,
of heat output (see their chart below).Regarding
concerns about indoor and outdoor air quality and restrictions on wood-burning
fireplaces, Ramsey replies, “All of my clients are concerned with indoor and
outdoor air quality, but none of them think that the fireplace is really of any
concern in regards to this. Twenty fires a year in your house isn’t causing our
issues.” And Swinburne adds, “We’re normally building in rural
areas, so outdoor air quality is not a big issue.”
Gas
FireplacesGas
fireplaces are available as inserts, built-ins or log sets (burners that fit in
existing traditional fireplaces). Gas fireplaces, which burn propane or natural
gas, are available in direct-vent or ventless models. Direct-vent gas
fireplaces vent combustion gasses directly to the outside of the structure in which
they are installed. Ventless fireplaces, which are designed to burn clean,
allow combustion byproducts to flow into the room in which the fireplace is
located.
For gas fireplaces, Wempe of zumaooh recommends Spark Modern Fires
fireplaces, which cost between $3,300 and $15000+. Wright suggests
Heatilator gas fireplaces, which cost between approximately $1,500 and $5,870+.
Both brands offers models in sizes ranging from 20 to 72 inches, with 36 and 42
inches being the most common sizes.
Gas Fireplace Pros and ConsGas
fireplaces are clean, safe, low maintenance, and easy
to operate, Wempe says. Plus, there’s no wood mess in the house, and heat
doesn’t escape out the flue like it does with a wood-burning unit, making
them much more efficient than traditional masonry fireplaces.
However, it’s hard to run a gas fireplace for long periods
without the room getting very warm, Wempe says. And the glass in some units gets
hot enough to burn skin, so be sure to install a screen (available from most
manufacturers) to keep accidents from happening. V
entless gas fireplaces vent carbon monoxide (which
can be fatal), airborne particulates, and high levels of water vapor (which can
cause mold growth and other moisture-related problems) into the home, according
to the International Association of Home Inspectors (InterNACHI). Massachusetts and
California have outlawed gas and propane ventless fireplaces, according to
InterNACHI.
Is the fireplace irrelevant? Not yet. “One day, real wood heating may be as archaic as the horse and buggy, but humans will still seek something to satisfy the primitive man/fire experience,” Wright says. “Maybe holograms will be the next rage, but it’s hard to roast marshmallows with one.”
For a related story on alcohol-burning fireplaces,
click here.